The Hearst Lumberjacks host the Espanola Paperkings this weekend in the first two games of their best of seven Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final playoff series.
It’s the first meeting in the post season between the two sides. The games will be played Friday and Saturday at 7 pm at Claude Larose Recreation Centre before the scene shifts to Espanola next week.
Head Coach Guy Losier says with a laugh that expects a war.
“These guys just go out and whatever they lack in talent they make up for work and work and they are going to be a pest to play against,” he said. “They don’t fly by you they hit you all the time so it’s gonna be a war.”
The Jacks enter the series a bit banged up with as many as five players out of the line-up.
Losier says the longer they go in the playoffs the healthier they might get.
“It’s crazy and the extent of the injuries, we have five guys out and out of the five guys we have three with I think year ending injuries so that is unbelievable so we are getting two of these five guys probably be back during the series,” he said.
The remainder of the schedule has been announced by the league office with games three and four set for next Tuesday and Wednesday in Espanola. If a fifth game is needed it would be back in Hearst on Friday, March 27.
